Robert Hawkins

Thirst for fame and scandal-hungry media make for dangerous combo, doctor says

(Newser) -
Gunfire ripped out across the country last week in a spate of deadly shootings that were unrelated but for one haunting thread: the shooters’ desire for attention, a forensic psychiatrist tells ABC News. “We have to take the Paris Hilton attention-seeking out of crime, or innocent people will be...
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Assault gun in Omaha slayings came from ex-stepfather's house

(Newser) -
The night before the Omaha mall shootings, Robert Hawkins' mother went Christmas shopping for an hour. In that hour alone in his ex-stepfather's house, reports the Omaha World-Herald, the 19-year-old stole the assault rifle he used to randomly kill eight people the next day. At dinner, Hawkins told his mother...
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'No indication' he would launch killing spree, says official

(Newser) -
Mall shooter Robert Hawkins spent two years in extensive care at a Nebraska home for troubled teens, where an official said there was "no indication" he would launch one of the deadliest killing rampages in American history, the New York Times reports. He spent a total of five years...
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Van Maur store, where the shooter opened fire, remains closed

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The Omaha mall where 19-year-old Robert Hawkins unleashed his killing spree re-opened for business today under tighter security, the AP reports. “I came in here and I was wondering how I would feel about it,” the mayor said, “but I feel fine.” The Von Maur store...
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He apologizes to family in suicide note

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The Omaha mall gunman apologized to family and friends in a suicide note released today and says he "just snapped" before killing eight people and himself in a shopping mall, the AP reports. "I know everyone will remember me as some sort of monster but please understand that...
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Police have killer's face, actions on videotape

(Newser) -
Images from surveillance videos showing Robert Hawkins, the 19-year-old who killed eight people, and then himself, at Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, Wednesday, were released by the authorities today, the AP reports. Three still images taken by mall security cameras show Hawkins walking into the mall seemingly unarmed, then with...
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Police say he hid an AK-47 inside balled-up sweatshirt

(Newser) -
19-year-old Robert Hawkins briefly looked around the Von Maur department store yesterday before leaving, only to return six minutes later and open fire with a stolen AK-47 in the Omaha rampage that left nine dead. Upon reentry, Hawkins was "concealing something balled up in a hooded sweatshirt," police...
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Teenage gunman had prior arrests, but was thought harmless

(Newser) -
Robert Hawkins—who killed 8 people and himself at an Omaha mall yesterday—had been treated for depression, and had prior arrests for drug possession and disorderly conduct. But the woman who took him in, after he had a falling out with his family, thought he was getting better, and...
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Teen who killed 9 just lost fast-food job

(Newser) -
The 19-year-old gunman who killed eight people and himself in a busy Omaha shopping mall today had been fired from his job at McDonald's hours earlier after being accused of stealing $17, the Omaha World-Herald reports. Robert A. Hawkins, who opened fire on afternoon shoppers with a rifle, left a...
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